AIEEEEEE, SPLAT: Death From A 1000 Ft Fall

Sometimes I think life would be a lot easier if we weren't all possessed by this pesky will to survive. I mean, it always makes things so complicated. What might have otherwise been a nice, pleasant Sunday afternoon high-speed collision suddenly gets all weird and lawsuit-y. Or maybe that cackling, trench-coat-clad figure in the park really was giving away candy. But now you'll never know. Death From A 1000 Ft Fall proposes another such situation: you've been shoved off a skyscraper by your arch-nemesis, but instead of spending your final moments peacefully wafting, tickling the air itself with your feather-like grace, you start thrashing and flailing and going through your pockets for things that might get you out of your almost certainly fatal predicament. Ugh, survival instincts, am I right?

Death From A 1000 Ft Fall is actually a very elaborate Twine game - one that's less driven by a singular, largely linear narrative and more about randomized systems. It also uses a lot of pictures, if you're allergic to words, punctuation, or particularly dander-prone emoticons.

So you're falling. You have roughly 7.8 seconds to do something about it, which means only a few precious turns before you're pavement pizza. Plus, you've got an ever-worsening stress level to account for since, you know, impending doom and all. Your options include everything from grasping at nearby ledges or buildings to - depending on which items are randomly placed in your inventory - sending your pet flying squirrel to get help or calling your family to say goodbye. You can also set the squirrel free in hopes of at least saving his life. Dying in a hilariously implausible fashion is kind of really sad sometimes, you guys.

That said, the writing's not the strongest, and the brilliant concept's somewhat limited execution becomes pretty noticeable after several brief playthroughs. Still though, Death From A 1000 Ft Fall is good for a few quick spurts of entertainment before it plummets back down to Earth. It made me laugh, whimper, and try to fashion a parachute out of a plastic bag and an anvil. Is there any greater endorsement?

Thanks, Indie Games.